6 | FEBRUARY.1.2013 | FRIDAY WEEKENDER: GOING OUT LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER | LEXGO.COM THE MUSICAL BOX THE WEEK THAT WAS A LIVE MUSIC BLOG AT LEXGO.COM Lucinda Williams at Kentucky Country Day Theatre in Louisville: Nearly 15 years after its release, the chorus to Joy — the most pivotal track of Lucinda Williams’ THEY MAKE A FINE PAIR most essential album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road — remains the single most potent and succinct Longtime friends Lauderdale and Miller tour behind their new album of duets lyric in a catalogue filled with brilliant songs of love, loss, betrayal BY WALTER TUNIS and, occasionally, redemption. “You Contributing Music Writer took my joy. I want it back.” Kind of says it all, doesn’t it? Buddy Miller and Jim Last week at Louisville’s KCD Lauderdale, Derek Hoke Theatre, Williams seriously got her 8 p. Feb. 1 at Headliners joy back. That’s not to say her live Music Hall, 1386 Lexington Rd., shows have ever been as desolate as her songs. But with a sold-out Louisville. $20. (502) 584-8088. Headlinerslouisville.com. audience before her and a 60th birthday just two days away, the Here’s one of the more primo PR acclaimed Americana songstress lines making the rounds in news cut loose. releases about Buddy and Jim, the new During the closing minutes of collaborative album by Buddy Miller and a two-hour performance aided by Jim Lauderdale: “It took three days to guitarist Doug Pettibone, Williams make, but it sounds like it took four.” invited the show-opening Kenneth That comes from the usually all- Brian Band, a fine indie country- business Miller as opposed to the rock troupe from Alabama, onstage typically wisecracking Lauderdale. But and tore into Get Right With God, personas and time tend to blur gloriously prompting a modest tent revival MICHAEL WILSON clap-along and a finale in which when you listen to Buddy and Jim. the singer put down her guitar and Pals for decades, they have An album tour brings Jim Lauderdale, left, and Buddy Miller to Louisville on Friday. simply danced to the groove. independently become two Dancing the night away in front of the most revered names Next week, Miller offers The catch to all this fun is that the of your audience as you’re about to in Americana music. another great record by only regional stop thus far in the winter turn the big 6-0. Now that’s what Miller came to local THE MUSICAL BOX serving as producer and tour supporting Buddy and Jim requires you call getting your joy back. attention in August 1996, co-guitarist on Electric, the a trip to Headliners in Louisville on Of course, there were all kinds Read Walter Tunis’ blog of other delights packed into the when he performed as featuring his musings new studio album by British Friday. But, hey, it’s the weekend. A little show, including three achingly guitarist in Emmylou Harris’ on music in Central songwriter and guitar road trip seems a minor inconvenience lovely tunes from the 2003 album band Spyboy for a sold- Kentucky and beyond. demon Richard Thompson. when you have a chance to do the out show at The Kentucky Lauderdale, on the other Wobble. World Without Tears (the show- Theatre. Several subsequent hand, has been a versed opening title track, People Talkin’ club appearances with his wife, Julie country songsmith for years but began Also this weekend and Over Time), a wonderful vocal duet version with Pettibone Miller, later spread the word about rediscovering a passion for bluegrass ■ Lexington hip-hop stylist Devine of Jailhouse Tears packed with original songs filled with an encyclopedic through several joint recordings with Carama hits the road for The Devine exquisitely profane humor, several understanding of country music and Ralph Stanley. A favorite in Lexington Experience Tour. The kickoff show unrecorded new songs highlighted guitar abilities that stretched from roots- venues for a time, he was absent from is Friday at Al’s Bar, Sixth Street and by the country-fried Bitter Memory savvy rock ’n’ roll to gorgeously ambient local stages for several years until two North Limestone, with a troupe of (with Pettibone tastefully working instrumentation. prominent appearances last year: at the fellow Lexington MCs that includes in licks from the Chuck Berry He returned to Lexington during the Festival of the Bluegrass in June and JustMe , Rob Jackson, Decypha and J. classic Memphis) and a sterling past decade as part of the star-studded at the Christ the King Oktoberfest in Shelbs. (10 p.m. $5. (859) 309-2901. impromptu cover of the Tammy Down From the Mountain Tour, an all- September . Alsbarlexington.com.). The tour hits Wynette hit Apartment #9 that star quartet called Three Girls and Their That brings us to Buddy and Nashville on Saturday and will play boasted the same stark emotive Buddy (featuring Harris, Patty Griffin Jim, a collection of duets that steers Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Brooklyn, N.Y.; cast as Williams’ own songs. and Shawn Colvin) and the wildly predominantly to traditional country Philadelphia and more during the next Joy was there, too, but it popular Raising Sand Tour with Robert but with a guitar sound that merrily few weeks. steered closer to the stripped- Plant and Alison Krauss. disregards genres as it sails from the ■ Finally, we have a rare wintertime down strident version featured on the new West of Memphis But Miller’s recording projects have outing with Central Kentucky’s own ’30s-era back-porch honky-tonk of the soundtrack than the rockish Car been even more eclectic. Before Buddy Mississippi Sheiks’ Lonely One in This John Michael Montgomery. The veteran Wheels original. While the intent & Jim, he released a guitar record called Town to the Jerry-Lee-Lewis-meets- Nicholasville country star will perform was unchanged, this Joy stood as The Majestic Silver Strings that blurred Robby-and-the-Daytonas strut of Jim Saturday night following a day of kid- a boozy, bruised blast of defiance genres from vintage roots music to hip- McCrackin’s 1959 rocking dance classic friendly horse activities at the Kentucky that sounded, as did all of this hop flavored revisionism with help from The Wobble to a sterling set of originals Horse Park’s Kentucky Round-Up. (7 splendid performance, positively Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot and Greg Leisz. by Miller and Lauderdale. p.m. $25-$35. Kentuckyroundup.com.) youthful..